Federal Government Indicts Sutter for Unlawful Lockout (CA)

[struggle4progress]

Press Release Source: SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West

Tuesday August 9, 3:36 pm ET
Sutter Continues Bad-Faith Bargaining

OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys for SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West and Sutter Health were notified yesterday that the federal government in Washington has authorized the San Francisco branch of the National Labor Relations Board, "to issue complaints alleging that the lock-outs were violative of section 8(A)(3) of the (National Labor Relations) Act." As a result of this finding, investigations regarding the union's assertion that Sutter Health, rather than the individual local hospitals, is responsible for Sutter's bad faith bargaining, "are reopened and the issuance of complaints will await the completion of that investigation."

"The board's action against Sutter on both of these issues validates what SEIU has been saying all along, that Sutter corporate controls these hospitals and that this renegade corporation has been acting in bad faith to prevent caregivers from winning an industry standard contract," said William Sokol of Weinberg, Rogers, and Rosenfeld. "This NLRB announcement means Sutter is all alone in its viciously anti-caregiver campaign -- and not even the Bush administration will condone or approve of Sutter's reckless disregard for caregivers and patients. Most significantly Sutter is now exposed to millions of dollars in back pay to the caregivers they illegally locked out in December."

Unaware of the federal indictment yesterday, Sutter Health continued to bargain with its caregivers in bad faith. Negotiations broke down after only several hours and multiple Sutter hospitals stated they had "no movement" toward resolution of outstanding contract issues. Sutter representatives also refused a union request to meet face to face with caregivers and, with the exception of one hospital that indicated minimal movement but did not formally suggest any contract modifications, failed to propose any changes.

"We came in good faith to negotiate and left in disbelief. We deserve to be heard but Sutter never even came into the room to hear what we had to say," said Denny Henriques, a respiratory therapist with 17 years experiences at Sutter Delta. "Sutter's bad faith bargaining makes a strike much more likely." <snip>

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